Sammy Sosa Returns To Wrigley Subject For 1st Time Since 2004 Cubs Exit

WRIGLEYVILLE — For the primary time in additional than 20 years, former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa is returning to Wrigley Subject.

Sosa’s return to the Pleasant Confines Friday afternoon is a reunion between one of many franchises’ most recognizable, achieved and embattled alumni.

The final time Sammy Sosa was at Wrigley Subject was in 2004 — a bitter finish to an illustrious but sophisticated taking part in profession.

Only a yr after Sosa was caught with a corked bat, he was fined a day’s pay — $87,400 — for exhibiting up late and leaving earlier than the ultimate sport of the season was over. Safety footage confirmed him exiting quarter-hour after first pitch, by no means suiting up.

Sosa claimed he stayed till the seventh inning, however the harm was carried out.

After the sport, Sosa criticized then-Cubs supervisor Dusty Baker for laying an excessive amount of blame at his toes.

“I’m bored with being blamed by Dusty Baker for all of the failures of this membership,” Sosa informed the Solar-Instances on the time. “I’m all the time the man they’ll blame.”

Sosa was traded to the Baltimore Orioles the following offseason, ending an iconic and unusual 13 years with the Cubs.

Within the 20 years since, Sosa has been largely shunned by the Cubs.

For years, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts had stated he wished an apology from Sosa for allegedly utilizing performance-enhancing medicine. Sosa has all the time denied these allegations, however the relationship between the 2 confirmed indicators of concord when Sosa provided a semi-apology this winter.

“There have been occasions I did no matter I might to recuperate from accidents in an effort to maintain my power as much as carry out over 162 video games,’’ Sosa stated in an announcement in December. “I by no means broke any legal guidelines, however in hindsight, I made errors and I apologize.’’